The present invention relates generally to garbage receptacles.
Waste containers for household use, and particularly those used in kitchen areas which include a foot-operated lid opening mechanism, are well known. Other kitchen-type containers that include a two-position lid are also known. Such waste containers have been immensely helpful in households.
However, it is still necessary to exert significant force to remove a garbage bag from the waste container, especially in the case where the garbage bag is heavy. A particular problem thus results if the user, such as a child or elderly person, has insufficient strength to remove the garbage bag from the waste container.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,980,287 to Fisher discloses a lockdown floating platform mechanism for spooler troughs and doff trucks in which a spring biased platform may be latched in place by a latching mechanism so that the same can be locked in a lowered position for purposes of loading or the like. Once loaded, the platform will float depending on the load, so that unloading from a convenient level always takes place. Thus, when the platform is full, it will remain in the lowered position, and as each level of bobbins or the like are removed, the next level will rise to the top for convenient unloading.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,612,457 to Morikawa et al discloses a device for supporting a sliver can or sliver plate on a platform. The platform is positioned in a raised position to receive slivers from the processing apparatus such that the same are supported as they are coiled within the sliver can. As the load is increased, the bias on the spring beneath the platform is slowly overcome until it is in a full downward, depressed position, allowing a full sliver coil to be loaded therein. In order to move the same from place to place, a latching mechanism associated with a stop rod and projection is provided to latch the sliver plate in place.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,489,473 to Goodwin, Jr. et al discloses a textile roving can in which the top of the container takes the form of a platform which is urged upward by a coil spring. The top moves downward under the weight of sliver or roving material as the material is deposited in the can. See also U.S. Pat. No. 4,261,079 to Masini et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,695,209 to de Witt et al discloses a can unpacker in which the container is designed to load bags of empty cans for processing, and particularly, one level of cans at a time is unloaded. A hand crank interfaces with a chain drive to allow each successive layer of cans to be moved upwards for placement on a conveyer.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,449,892 to Gibbs discloses a similar arrangement. Specifically, the container stores articles such as trays or plates so that one level of articles is always at the top for quick removal. The platform is automatically raised to continue this process until the container is empty.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,494,503 to Kingsley discloses a storage bin in which the level of a wheeled bin for books or other articles floats so that the same may be conveniently loaded from the top until fully loaded, and a reverse operation also takes place for unloading.
Other patents which disclose related devices are U.S. Pat. No. 2,919,168 to Shivek and U.S. Pat. No. 3,357,346 to Crafoord.
However, none of these patents is related to a garbage can for household use. Rather, the above patents disclose devices which include a spring-biased platform or similar mechanism in order to selectively dispose the platform and materials contained thereon in a desired position. Specifically, some of the above references utilize a spring-biased platform which is depressed within the container during loading, and which displaces upwardly during unloading so that the goods to be unloaded are always at a convenient height. Still other ones of the above references receive sliver or roving material from a textile manufacturing operation, where it is desirable to have the platform in an upwardly extended position to accept slivers and to cause the platform to depress as the sliver material is increased, enabling a full load to be accepted while support is always provided by the platform. The structures disclosed by the prior art, however, do not provide a convenient and efficient configuration for a household garbage can.